"Urge Serious Negotiations": US Calls For End To Afghanistan Violence

US State Department spokesman blamed Taliban for much of the bloodshed in Afghanistan

The United States called Tuesday for an end to violence in Afghanistan, blaming Taliban insurgents for much of the bloodshed, three days ahead of a visit by President Ashraf Ghani to the White House. "We urge the sides to engage in serious negotiations that determine a political roadmap for Afghanistan's future," State Department spokesman Ned Price told reporters. "We continue to call for an end to the ongoing violence that has been driven largely by the Taliban," Price said. The Taliban captured Afghanistan's main border crossing with Tajikistan Tuesday, officials said, with security forces abandoning their posts and some fleeing across the frontier.